Contact: Jess Kamm Broomell, 412-562-2444, jkamm@usw.org
United Steelworkers (USW) International President Tom Conway issued the following statement today in response to President Joe Biden’s executive order establishing a White House task force to evaluate and encourage greater unionization in the United States:
“The USW welcomes President Biden’s interagency task force on worker organizing and empowerment and his efforts to pave the way for more workers to access their rights to organize and collectively bargain.
“Union membership helps keep workers safe on the job, affords greater access to retirement and health benefits and provides a ticket to the middle class through higher wages and greater job security.
“For too long corporations have leveraged their political influence to increase their profits and erode workers’ rights, resulting in stagnant wages and rampant economic inequality.
“It’s past time that we reset the scales.
“As we continue to urge the Senate to pass the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, we applaud President Biden’s initiative to help empower workers through the executive branch.”
The USW represents 850,000 workers employed in metals, mining, pulp and paper, rubber, chemicals, glass, auto supply and the energy-producing industries, along with a growing number of workers in health care, public sector, higher education, tech and service occupations.